Marc Lottering: I Don’t Work on Sundays Review

Marc Lottering is one of the most recognizable faces in South African comedy today, and while I could add on “love-him-or-hate-him;” I find that very hard to do. I doubt that even those who don’t really pay much attention to his work could really find it in their hearts to actually hate him; he just seems like too much of a nice guy. And this DVD shows that as well as a winning smile and trademark worthy hair, Marc has spent his many years in showbiz mastering the art of the stand-up comedian.

Recorded live at the Baxter theatre, this is a purely stand-up show, with none of the acting or skits seen in many of Marc’s other work. Nevertheless, he manages to engage the audience in his stories as they come, until the madcap antics are almost visible as a movie for the viewer to see. With a combination of stories from his own life, mixed together with ripped from the headline events in the world and South Africa, it’s definitely a topical show, so best viewed sooner rather than later. Marc does a good job of mixing jokes and bringing back references made earlier in an incredibly funny way, once you’ve almost forgotten about them. I’ve always thought stand-up comedians need to be some of the smartest people in the world, in order to both understand what’s happening in the world and bring it all together in a way that shows how ridiculous and silly it actually is, and Marc has managed that, with an attitude familiar to many South Africans, of pure ‘Ag relax, It’s gonna be fine, let’s just have a good laugh.”

While more recent comedians in South Africa, like Trevor Noah, are doing very well for themselves, and rightfully so, Marc Lottering still stands out, showing us that we are a very funny people, and that we have a lot to laugh about each day.